Tiny houses

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Fred99

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#2055246 12-Jul-2018 18:15

mudguard:

Rikkitic:

A big caravan can be more luxurious than a tiny house and it may help avoid some over the top compliance issues.

As part of my job I have to look inside motorhomes (finding the VIN number). I'm astonished how luxurious some of them are. Wonder if I could pull my Kiwisaver out for "house"...

That's true, but I'd rather not a caravan - was thinking of building something myself with a rather less mass-produced feel to it.

Scott3

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#2055316 12-Jul-2018 20:28

Anybody know why tiny houses in NZ seem to be built to a width of 2.5m. You can transport category 1 oversize loads (under 3.1m wide) pretty easy, and it would give a lot more options for floorplans.

raytaylor

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#2055421 12-Jul-2018 23:09

Scott3:

Anybody know why tiny houses in NZ seem to be built to a width of 2.5m. You can transport category 1 oversize loads (under 3.1m wide) pretty easy, and it would give a lot more options for floorplans.

Tiny houses or sleepouts?

The category is so big and confusing now. Many sleepouts are designed to fall under the 10m2 floor space limit to avoid building permits. And 2.5m wide might be enough for a queen bed?

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mattwnz

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#2055464 13-Jul-2018 00:54

IMO building tiny houses solely to avoid needing to get a building consent is just bad. The whole reason we have building standards is so people live in a safe, warm , dry home. Without the building being checked by council that it conforms to the code means that, some people maybe living in homes that are potentially unsafe. Hopefully the loophole will be plugged.

Fred99

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#2055603 13-Jul-2018 10:02

mattwnz:

IMO building tiny houses solely to avoid needing to get a building consent is just bad. The whole reason we have building standards is so people live in a safe, warm , dry home. Without the building being checked by council that it conforms to the code means that, some people maybe living in homes that are potentially unsafe. Hopefully the loophole will be plugged.

Another side to that is that I've stayed in huts in the mountains, in my boat, in a tent, in old "kiwi baches" - and none of those would have met building code.

I'm reminded about an episode on County Calendar a few years ago, and old guy in Central Otago had renovated what had been an old pigsty on his property as a getaway for his wife and himself. A building inspector from the council drove up the road and threatened him with prosecution for not having consent. He responded that he didn't need consent as it was still a pigsty. The council fellow said "but it's got beds inside and you can't sleep in it", but when asked to show where in the regulations it was prohibited to sleep in a pigsty, the council chap got back in his car and drove away - never to be seen again. (actually there probably are laws / council regulations stating limits on use of temporary/non consented structures such as sheds or garages for sleeping accommodation - but it was a good story regardless).

Last trip I had to Auckland - with a few hours spare to catch my flight home spent driving around some of the less desirable parts of the booming Auckland real estate market - my impression is that making "tiny homes" subject to the increasingly expensive draconian state intervention to "protect us from ourselves" should be the least of our worries.

Dulouz

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#2055609 13-Jul-2018 10:22

Anyone know of any tinny houses in Lower Hutt?

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jonathan18

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#2055655 13-Jul-2018 10:54

Dulouz:
Anyone know of any tinny houses in Lower Hutt?

Until NZ drug laws get fixed, I doubt they’ll get consent either!

robjg63

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#2055703 13-Jul-2018 12:58

mattwnz:

IMO building tiny houses solely to avoid needing to get a building consent is just bad. The whole reason we have building standards is so people live in a safe, warm , dry home. Without the building being checked by council that it conforms to the code means that, some people maybe living in homes that are potentially unsafe. Hopefully the loophole will be plugged.

If you ask anyone that has had any building work done in (certainly in Auckland), I would say that keeping away from the whole red tape nightmare that is Code of Compliance is motivation enough.

The costs alone are ridiculous.

As to thinking all the process leads to a warm, dry and durable house - Don't hold your breath on that. There are many homes that have now been re-clad twice or demolished in the last 20 years or so - and they were all approved, 'compliant' and properly 'signed off'.

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wellygary

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#2055753 13-Jul-2018 13:45

Scott3:

Anybody know why tiny houses in NZ seem to be built to a width of 2.5m. You can transport category 1 oversize loads (under 3.1m wide) pretty easy, and it would give a lot more options for floorplans.

I suspect its because they can get away with classifying them as "trailers" is they are less than 2.55m wide,

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/vehicle-types/vehicle-classes-and-standards/vehicle-dimensions-and-mass/light-trailers/

mattwnz

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#2055763 13-Jul-2018 14:04

robjg63:

mattwnz:

IMO building tiny houses solely to avoid needing to get a building consent is just bad. The whole reason we have building standards is so people live in a safe, warm , dry home. Without the building being checked by council that it conforms to the code means that, some people maybe living in homes that are potentially unsafe. Hopefully the loophole will be plugged.

If you ask anyone that has had any building work done in (certainly in Auckland), I would say that keeping away from the whole red tape nightmare that is Code of Compliance is motivation enough.

The costs alone are ridiculous.

As to thinking all the process leads to a warm, dry and durable house - Don't hold your breath on that. There are many homes that have now been re-clad twice or demolished in the last 20 years or so - and they were all approved, 'compliant' and properly 'signed off'.

I wouldn't disagree on that at all. But we love redtape and regulation in NZ, as it creates another layer of jobs. Just try being a small food producer, and look at all the new hoops they have to jump through and the additional costs they have to pay to be audited. Yet if they get the food produced overseas and import it in, they don't need to do that.

The system needs to use common sense and to cut down on compliance costs

Scott3

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#2056120 14-Jul-2018 11:46

wellygary:

Scott3:

Anybody know why tiny houses in NZ seem to be built to a width of 2.5m. You can transport category 1 oversize loads (under 3.1m wide) pretty easy, and it would give a lot more options for floorplans.

I suspect its because they can get away with classifying them as "trailers" is they are less than 2.55m wide,

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/vehicle-types/vehicle-classes-and-standards/vehicle-dimensions-and-mass/light-trailers/

It is pretty easy to tow widths over 2.55m, as long as as your a not too wide, and also not also overheight / weight / length, you don't need a permit, Just Hazard panels / flags, and to avoid big cities in rush hour.

Construction portacoms etc are often 3.6m wide.

robjg63:

If you ask anyone that has had any building work done in (certainly in Auckland), I would say that keeping away from the whole red tape nightmare that is Code of Compliance is motivation enough.

The "Tiny house" being a caravan and therefor not requiring any compliance loophole doesn't seem to exist in NZ (based on court rulings).

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